Leveling apparatus for metallic sheets and the like



25,1924. 1,516,627" G. A. WISE LEVELiNG A PPARATUS FOR METALLIC SHEETS AND THE LIKE Fil ed June 15, 1922 7 Sheeps-Shet 1 FIG INVENTUR Geor e A. Wise his attpr 71 g Nov. 25, 1924. 1,516,627

cs; A. WISE I LEVELTNG APYAfiATqs FOR METALLIC S-HEETS AND THE LIKE -7 Sheets-Sheet 'Fi leg June 15 1 922 I NVENTUR Gem-7e A Wise b is! Wm his attorney FIG-.2

G. A. WISE LEVELING APPARATUS FOR METALLIC SHEETS AND THE LIKE Filed June 15, 1922 7 Sheets-Sheet INVENTQR G'earye A..Wi=se 5, WM 7;,

. k G. A. WISE LEVELING APPARATUS FOR METALLIC SHEETS AND THE LIKE FIG.

INVENTUR George A. Wise bq wuuaww G. A. wlsE LEVELING APPARATUS FOR METALLIC SHEETS AND ,THE LIKE 7 Sheets-Sheet .5

Filed June 15 ,1922

X RN N 25, 1924 1516;627- 7 cstwA. (SE A 4 v LEVELING APPARATUS FoIzMETALLIc SHEETS AND THE LIKE Fil ed June 15, 1922 V Sfieets-Sheet INVENTUR Geo? A. Wise his afforwey G. A. WISE LEVELING APPARATUS FOR METALLIC SHEETS AND THE LIKE 'Filed June 1'5 1922 7 Sheets-Sheet 7 INVENTQR George Wise Patented Nov. 25, 1 924.

rrso STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE e/wxsn, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO SUTTON-ABRAMSEN ENGINEERING COMPANY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

LEVELING APPARATUS FOR METALLIC SHEETS AND THE LIKE.

Application filed June 15, 1922. Serial No. 568,503.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE A. WISE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsbur h, in the county of. Allegheny and State ofTPennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement'in a Leveling Appara-tus for Metallic Sheets and-the like, jof

- which the following is a specification.

- This invention relates to leveling apparatus for flattening hot 'or cold metallic sheets or plates.

Finished sheets or plates, particularly.

sheets, generally .present'a dished contour, that is they vary from a true plane in having a slow or gradual inclination from points adjacent the central longitudinal line of the sheet outwardly to the edges thereof. The finished sheets or plates also frequently have a definite bowor ridge ex- 0 tending longitudinally thereof, and in some cases show a wavy surface. This distorted condition, "causes serious manufacturing troubles to all users of metallic sheets or plates. r The object of the present invention is to I. provide apparatus capable of removing 7 these objectionable features, and producing a perfectly flat or level sheet or plate.

Further objects of the invention are to provide apparatus having the advantages noted above which is further-susceptible of adjustment for differences in the degree to which the sheets or plates of different runs or lots are distorted, and in which the adjustment may be effected so readily that an exact adjustment may be made almost instantly should the degree of distortion of the sheets or plates alter during the continu-.

ance of a single run through a hotmill due to any cause, as for instance a change in the temperature of the sheets or plates, or a change in the temperature of the mill rolls.

Another object of the invention is to ,pro-

vide apparatus which may be adjusted to' such a fine point that it will act upon and correct the slightest distortion in the sheets or plates. t i

Another object of the invention is to provide means for checking any tendency for the sheets or plates to sweep upwardly or downwardly as they pass from the appa ratus.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is aside elevation of the machine; Figure 2 is an elevation of the opposite side thereof; Figure 3 is a plan view thereof; Figure 4 is a vertical longitudinal section through the machine on the line 44; liigure.-3; Figure 5 is a section on the line X-X Figure 3'; Figure 6 is a section on the line X-X 6 Figure 3, showing on an enlarged scale a j portion of the apparatus as" shown in Figure 5; Figure Tis a sectional detail in enlarged scale on the line 7-7 Figure 3; Figure 8 is a cross sectional viewon the line/8+8 6 Figure 3; and Figure 9 is a sectional detail on an enlarged scale taken on theline 9f9 Figure 3. j t t The machine comprises primarily a base 1, a main frame 2 secured thereon, a cap 7 frame '3 on the main frame, rolls, means. for actuating the same, means-for the inde-y pendent vertical adjustment of one of the rolls, means for the simultaneous vertical adjustment of other of the rolls, and means for 'adjustably tilting certain of the rolls,

independently of the general vertipal ad justment. j The train of lower rolls 4' are trunnioned in stationary bearings 5 in the main frame 2 ofthe machine. These rolls are positively actuated by means of a pulley orthe like mounted on a-shaft 7 and adapted to receive power from-' any suitable source; a pinion 8 mounted on the shaft 7 at the side 3 of the machine opposite to the pulley 6, a train-of pinious 9 and 10 mounted in the frame 2 and in thehousing 11 thereon, and

pinions 12 on thetrunnions 13.0f the rolls 4 and meshing with'the pinions l0.

The upper train or tier .of rolls 14 are trunnioned in vertically adjustable bearing blocks 15, which engage with vertical guide pins or posts 16' extending into boththe main frame 2 and the cap frame 3 Ofthe machine. As shown with particular clearness in Figures 7 to 9 inclusive of the drawings, clearance spaces 1 for the vertical, movement of the bearing blocks are' provided within the main frame 2 and cap 'frame 3, and the guide pins 16 pass'through these spaces. v I

For the sake of convenience, the separately adjustable unit of the upper rolls 14 will be given the special identifying character A, and the skew or tiltable rolls the identifying characters B and. C. The means which operate directly on the bearing blocks of the upper rolls 14 for raising and lowering the same are identical for all of the upper rolls. shown in detail in Figure 5 of the drawings,

- comprise a scre'w18 threaded into a nut 19,

which is immovably secured in the -,cap frame 3 as by being forced thereinto. The lower extremity of the screw 18 is secured to a foot 20 which is bolted to the upper extremity of the bearing. block 15. Betation of the screw 18 in one direction therefore lowers the, block to which it is secured while rotationin the opposite direction raisestheblock.

All the upperrolls, with the exception of the roll A, are adjustable simultaneously and equally by common means provided for that purpose. Such means comprise a shaft 21;

I which extends completely across the ma-.

it immediately overlies on both sides of the machine. Theoperation of wheel 24 in one direction or the other thus serves to raise or lower the particular one of the rolls 14 which it overlies.

In order to transmlt' motion for adjuste.

ing all the upper rolls of the set simultaneously, a pinion 29 is mounted on each of the screws 18, and these pinions intermesh along both sides of the machine. As the direction of rotation of adjacent pinions 29 and their screws 18 is thus opposite, adjacent screws 18-are oppositely threaded in their nuts 19,

so that the effect is uniform throughout the machine. The end roll A of the rolls .14 ofp the upper train or tier is provided with an independent shaft 30 having bearings 31 and 32, and arranged ,to be actuated by the wheel 33. v The shaft 30 has thereon the bevel pinions 34 and 35 meshing respectively with the bevel gears 36 and 37 on the adjusting .screws 18 of this independently adjustableroll A. v D

-The r oll A is rendered capable of an in dependent adjustment so that, as stated above, it may be adjusted to cause the sheets i or plates to be passed straight from the maposition a tendency for the sheets orfplates;

fdished, so as to give the sheets or plates a chine; Thus if there is a tendency durin a run for the sheets to sweep upwardly, t 18 (tendency may be corrected forby lowering the roll A; and if with the roll A in such to sweep downwardly should develop, this' tendency may be corrected by, raisingthe roll the necessary distance.

It is in the arrangement. of the rolls B and- C that the chief novelty of the presentinvention resides.

These rolls B and C are mounted in a manner exactly similarto the other rolls 14 of Such means, as

the upper tier. Meansare provided, however, for independently raising or lowering one end of each, of these rolls. For the purpose of raising and lowering the roll B, the

shaft 38-is mounted transversely of. the ma chine in bearings 39 and 40, and is arranged to be rotatedby means of the wheel 41 On the side of the machine adjacent the wheel 41 shaft 38 isaprovided with a worm .42 meshing with a worm gear 43 carried by the portion .of nut 19 which extends above thecap frame-3.

"When, therefore, wheel 41 is operated,

shaft 38 is rotated and the motionis transmitted to the screw 18 by means of the meshingof worm 42 and worm gear 43..- The rotation'of screw 18 in its nut 19 causes vertical movement of the screw to raise or lower the end of the roll thus acted upon. This action tilts the roll as shownin Figures 6 and 7. In order to permit this tilting a slight amount'of play is permitted between the bearing blocks15 and guide pin 16, as

shown Xarticularly in Figure 7 of the drawings. 1

s the required tilting of the roll .is

extremely slight, this amount of playnee'd not be great;

45 and 46. This shaft 44 is rotated by means The means fortilting the other skew 011 C comprises a shaft 44 extending transverseof a Wheel 47 disposed adjacent the wheel 41 I for operating shaft 38. At theside-of the machine opposite the wheels 41- and 47 the shaft 44 is provided with a worm 48'meshing with the worm gear 49 on the screw 18 of v the roll C. .As shown in Figures 8 and 9'of the drawings, the structure operating directly on one end of the roll 0 is identical with that operating directly upon the opposite end of the roll B.

As the opposite ends of the. two rolls .B

and C are independently adjustable, they.

may be set'to operate upon deviations of dif ferent'degree on the two sides of the sheets.

The operation of the machine will be readilyunderstood. 'It .shouldbe noted that the lower rolls 4 and the upper rolls 14 are rela" tivelylstaggered, so 'th'at the sheet or plates is subjected to a repeated flexing during its passage through. the rolls. This action fiattens out longitudinalbows in the sheet or plate and also-corrects a wavy contour thereof. Simultaneously the skew .-ro1ls B and 0" serve to flex the sheets or plates longitu- I Kdinally beyond their plane in a direction op-' posite to that in which they are naturally dependent adjustment of the rolls B and G permits the machine to be accommodated to deviatitms of varying degree in the progress of a run tl'irough a hot mill without shutting out the hot rolls for that purpose. ll, it should be observed during use of the apparatus in any connection that the sheets passing from the machine have either had their dished contour insulliciently corrected, or that there has been an overcorrection producing a dish in the opposite direction, the proper adjustment may be instantly made.

Leveling machines previously in use have embodied the general principle of using tiers of relatively staggered rolls for leveling or flattening sheets or plates, all the rolls of one such tier being simultaneously adjustable vertically of the machine. Such machines, however, have failed to completely fulfill their purpose because the dished contour of finished sheets or plates is not readily corrected permanently,-the resiliency of the metal tending to cause the sheet or plate to return to dished form after leaving the leveling machine. 7

The leveling machine of the present invention possesses a marked advantage in that it presents practical means for breaking down the dished contour of sheets and plates in such manner that the metal of the 1 sheet or plate is permanently established in a true plane, without any tendency toward returning to a dished contour.

The machine further permits an increased production ofsheets in the use of any'sheet producing equipment, because of the ability of the machine to correct any amount of distortion that may occur in a sheet or plate mill.

It will be understood that the machine may be modified in a number of particulars without departing from the spirit of the invention. Thus the number of skew rolls may be varied in number.

As the. machine is susceptible of a number of other modifications without departing from the spirit of the present invention,the scope of the invention is to be restricted only by the limitations contained in the appended claims.

What I claim is: p

1. In a machine for leveling sheet and plate metal the combination of a machine frame, a tier of lower rolls having hearings in said frame, a tier of upper rolls mounted in vertically adjustable bearings, adjusting screws arranged to adjust the rolls of said tier vertically, means for acting upon all of said adjusting screws, simultaneously to adjust the upper tier of rolls as a unit, a roll in said upper tier adjustable in bear ings tiltable in the frame, and means arranged to act upon the adjusting screw at one end of said roll independently of the other rolls of the tier for tilting said roll in the machine.

:2. In a machine for leveling sheet and plate metal the combination of a machine framc,a tier of lower rolls having hearings in said frame, a tier of upper rolls mounted in vertically adjustable bearings, adjusting screws arranged to adjust; the rolls of said upper tier vertically, means for acting upon all of said adjusting screws simultaneously to adjust the upper tier of rolls as a unit, two rolls in said upper tier being trunnioned in bearings tiltable in said frame, and means arranged to act upon the adjusting screws at opposite ends of the two rolls independently of the other rolls of the tier for tilting the rolls in opposite directions in the ma chine.

3. In a machine for leveling sheet and plate metal the combination of a machine frame, a tier of lower rolls having hearings in said frame, a tier of upper rolls mounted in Vertically adjustable bearings, means for adjusting vertically both ends of each roll ofthe upper tier, a plurality of the rolls of the upper tier being susceptible of vertical adjustment at one end thereof independently of the other rolls to produce tilting of such rolls, actuating means arranged to act/upon said adjusting means to simultaneously raise or lower both ends of all rolls of the tier as a unit, and independem actuating means arranged to act upon said adjusting means to raise or lower one end of each of said tiltable rolls independently to tilt the roll.

4C. In a machine for leveling sheet and plate metal .the combination of a machine frame, a'tier of lower rolls having bearings in said frame, a tier of upper rolls mounted in vertically adjustable bearings, means for adjusting vertically both ends of each roll of the upper tier, a plurality of the rolls of the upper tier being susceptible ot-vertical adjustment .at one end thereof indepcndcntly of the other rolls to produce tilting of such rolls actuating means arranged to act upon said adjusting means to simultaneously raise or lowerboth ends of all rolls of the tier as a unit, independent actuating means arranged to act upon said adjusting means to raise or lower one end of each of said tiltable rolls independently to tilt the roll; an upper roll mounted at the discharge end of the-"machine independently of the tier of rolls, and means for the independent vertical adjustment of said roll to direct sheets or plates as they issue from the ma -chine.

R. M. GAUGHAN, E. B. WALTERS. 

